Actually, I wanted to ignore their new piece. We had enough Cradle of Filth on this zine over the years. Right? Well, not quite, it appears. Dani Filth‘s troupe of daemonic misfits brought much entertainment to these offices, starting with Dusk… And Her Embrace. And since then, the RMR team consumed record after record of frantic back and fro on stage with the (in)famous filthy screams reminding us who we were dealing with.
So, now, The Screaming of the Valkyries appeared on our radar. And – in a way – it got stuck to our frontal lobe like right away. The RMR expected a wild ride of abject screaming fits and machinegun staccato riffs with drumming sounding like a wild horde of boars descending on you in a blind rage. But nothing of that happened. Instead, The Screaming here brings you – measured tones. More melodic wares in almost velvety tooth and claw, but still with enough bite to please the Acolytes ov Metal. In other words, a lot of the record’s wares somewhat majestically march through, carried by Da Master ov Filth’s unctuous crooning, rough-hewn snarls, and trademark wails.
Put differently, compared to the record’s predecessors, this comes without unhinged fits of screamo wares, but instead roars forth in well-calibrated vocal ferocity. If that makes sense at all. In fact, the RMR crew found a more measured Cradle of Filth style, a change that we found hard to believe at first. Melody and proficient orchestration, a harsh riff-fest, tasty solos, and the typical vocal explosion really carry the day on this one.
This is an interesting turn of events, and perhaps this happened because our Dani here passed the 50-year mark of adulthood and things slowed down some after that. Some of that may also stem from the arrival of a new female muse – Zoe Marie Federoff – who’s incidentally married to CoF‘s long-standing guitarist Ashok. And methinks, she has a much greater impact than the departed Anabelle Iratni who wandered into CoF‘s dark embrace directly, once Devilment shipwrecked in 2019. But then, she didn’t last much longer than Existence is Futile, either. Cradle of Filth, a family entertainment firm? They’re getting there by the looks of it. Further accents may have been injected into the mix by the band’s new guitarist, Donny Burbage.
To Live Deliciously leads you right into The Screaming of the Valkyries. And – in many ways – this track delivers the essence of the record right from the pole position. Now, this could well be a bad omen and the intro kinda exudes these vague vibes, but fear naught. Nice ominous orchestration, powerful yet strangely subdued chugging beatz CoF style with the vocalist smoothly moving into place. The gothic and baroque look and feel continue with Nymphetamine-esque musings on Demagoguery. This is the true CoF spirit of the past, only much better chiseled out and spiffed up for effect. This band has come a long way over all these years.
Non Omnis Moriar and its muted yet typically filthy tones is one of The Screaming‘s highlights. This is where Federoff starts to enter the scene seriously. And behold, here comes White Hellebore, the feisty and very Victorian-esque filet piece. A case for the Beauty and the Beast meme, if there ever was one. Powerful, ominous, and with the female siren song fully on display. Oh, and check out the truly tasty video below. I am still waiting for the anal YouTube censorship brigade to slam an age restriction on the clip.
And indeed, The Screaming of the Valkyries clearly benefits from a more homogenous and mature songwriting style. I also get the feeling that the current lineup now acts as a fully established band, too. That wasn’t quite that evident in the past. Said more crudely, there’s no need to have the boyz and girl screaming ‘gilded cunt’ to make them feel better. You get my drift. Also, the female vocalist seems to jump right into the fray this time. And that lands her with the best performance since Lindsay Schoolcraft left the building.
Finally, The Screaming of the Valkyries feels in many ways like an extended and slower version of Nymphetamine. A reflection of the past without going there outright. But the latter isn’t its sole focal point. Other elements prevail as well. Not necessarily harkening back to times when Dusk and Her Embrace hit the old creaky turntables of olden times. But fast forward to the future when Hammer of the Witches and Cryptoriana reigned supreme. This – of course – means that Cradle of Filth didn’t bring anything new to the table. And why should they? At his 14th vinyl edition, Dani Filth should be content to work on refining elements that actually worked well back in the past. A culmination of a long career of often remarkable records issued.
And this left the RMR crew impressed and eager to twirl this disk all over again right away a few times more. In short, The Screaming delivers comfortable CoF fare, steeped in the musty smells of its very own bread and butter sauce and cooked to perfection.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Napalm Fucking Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 21 March 2025